The chief executive officer of the Walt Disney Company says he will sit down with Governor Ron DeSantis to discuss the “Don’t Say Gay” bill that is on the Florida Republican’s desk awaiting his signature. DeSantis as recently as Monday, one day before the state Senate passed the anti-LGBTQ legislation, said he supports the bill and, like his press secretary, made derogatory remarks about those who do not.
But DeSantis’ press secretary, in an angry statement, says otherwise, declaring that the far right-wing Florida governor has not changed his mind and is still expected to sign the bill into law.
Disney’s Bob Chapek says he opposes the legislation, revealing at a shareholder’s meeting Wednesday that the company had been working “behind the scenes,” consulting with lawmakers to try to derail the harmful legislation. Disney is a $67 billion multinational corporation that employed 77,000 people in Florida before COVID.
“While we’ve been strong supporters of the (LGBTQ) community for decades, I know that many are upset that we did not speak out against the bill. Now, we were opposed to the bill from the outset, but we chose not to take a public position on it because we thought we could be more effective working behind the scenes, engaging directly with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle,” Chapek said Wednesday, as ClickOrlando reports.
“The governor heard our concerns in agreeing to meet with me and LGBTQ+ members of our senior team in Florida to discuss ways to address them,” Chapek added. “Certainly the outcome in Florida was not what many of us were hoping for, especially our LGBTQ+ employees.”
In a statement Christina Pushaw, DeSantis’ press secretary, said: “Disney contacted our office today to speak with the governor. This is the first time we have heard from Disney regarding HB 1557. The governor did take the call from Mr. Chapek. The governor’s position has not changed.”
“Disney is a family-friendly company that creates wholesome entertainment for kids,” Pushaw continued.
“The same Florida parents who take their families to Disney also support parental rights in education, because they do not want their young children exposed to inappropriate content about sex and gender theory at school,” she claimed falsely.
Just 40% of Floridians support the bill. 49% – almost half – do not.
Image by Walt Disney Television via Flickr and a CC license